Overview
Arbok-Sun-Oily is a next-generation, zero-waste oil extraction and refining system that completely replaces the traditional multi-stage process for vegetable oils — mechanical pressing, solvent extraction (typically with hexane), filtration, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization. Instead of relying on high temperatures, chemical reagents, or large-scale infrastructure, the system uses deep vacuum and low-temperature evaporation to extract and refine oils in a single continuous step. Oil-bearing seed paste is fed into the reactor, the liquid phase evaporates under vacuum, and the vapor is condensed into a clean, deodorized, bacteria-free oil, while the solid phase becomes a dry protein-rich cake suitable for feed. The absence of hexane, alkali neutralization, bleaching earths, or steam significantly reduces environmental and operational risks.
Applications
Processing of any oil-bearing feedstock — sunflower, soy, rapeseed, or oil-rich waste biomass. Deployable on farms, in processing hubs, or as part of industrial-scale installations; can integrate with existing lines or operate independently.
Operating Principle
Thermo-vacuum evaporation of the liquid phase at ambient temperature under deep vacuum. Oil-bearing seed paste enters the reactor; the liquid phase evaporates and the vapor is condensed into refined oil free of odor, color, and microorganisms. The solid phase becomes a dry de-oiled, protein-rich cake. No hexane, alkali neutralization, bleaching earths, or steam are used.
Key Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|—|—|
| Input | Any oil-bearing feedstock — sunflower, soy, rapeseed, oil-rich waste biomass |
| Processing method | Thermo-vacuum evaporation at ambient temperature, under deep vacuum |
| Outputs | Refined vegetable oil; water and/or solvent fraction (e.g. ethanol); dry de-oiled protein-rich cake |
| Throughput | 100–250 tons/day per unit |
| Energy consumption | 2–5 kWh/ton (10× lower than traditional 50–150 kWh/ton) |
| Unit footprint | ~20 m² (vertical 20-foot module) |
| Automation | Fully automated control with pressure, temperature, and product-level monitoring |
| Maintenance | Minimal — periodic pump checks and discharge of cake |
| Operators required | 1 person for multiple units |
| Installation | Integrates with existing lines or operates independently |
Architecture and Components
Vertical 20-foot module (~20 m² footprint) containing the vacuum reactor, condenser for oil recovery, solid-cake discharge, and a fully automated control system with pressure, temperature, and product-level monitoring.
Advantages
Environmental: zero emissions — no hexane vapors, no wastewater, no spent bleaching clays; no waste, as all outputs are usable (oil, water/solvent, dry cake); no thermal degradation, so low temperature preserves vitamins and antioxidants; clean exhaust containing only water vapor; fully closed-loop, fitting circular economy principles. Economic: CAPEX reduction — replaces an entire oil production plant with one compact unit; OPEX reduction — no reagents, no filters, no boilers, and 10× lower electricity costs; minimal labor with 24/7 operation and low human involvement; high-grade oil suitable for frying with longer shelf life; byproduct revenue from cake sold as feed or protein additive; scalability by adding modules with no new construction.
Integrations
Arbok-BioFuel — biofuel from agricultural waste · SunSqueeze — direct thermal oil extraction using solar vacuum · AgroVolt — micro-energy system for rural agro-processing · Vacuum Osmosis — vacuum osmosis water purification
Deployment & Operation
Works autonomously with minimal supervision; one operator can run multiple units. Can be deployed on farms, in processing hubs, or within industrial-scale installations, integrating with existing lines or operating independently. Maintenance limited to periodic pump checks and cake discharge.
TRL
TRL 8–9 — Technology has been tested, certified, and piloted in field installations; ready for full-scale commercial deployment.
Market Potential
Global demand for sunflower, soy, and rapeseed oil runs into the hundreds of millions of tonnes a year, with extraction and refining capacity concentrated in large centralized crushing plants built around solvent extraction and multi-stage chemical refining. Arbok-Sun-Oily targets the segment of this market that centralized plants cannot reach efficiently: small and mid-size producers, cooperatives, and regions without access to hexane-extraction infrastructure, as well as established processors looking to cut solvent and energy costs on existing lines. Demand for non-GMO, solvent-free, and clean-label oils adds a second growth vector, since the absence of hexane residue and chemical refining steps is a direct, verifiable market differentiator rather than a marketing claim.
Typical Project Economics
Project economics scale with local feedstock cost, energy tariffs, and site infrastructure rather than a fixed template, so capital and operating cost are set per site rather than quoted as a single figure. Capital intensity is driven mainly by unit count, since the modular design replaces an entire extraction-and-refining plant — pressing, solvent recovery, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization — with a single compact unit, removing the civil works, tankage, and reagent-handling infrastructure that dominate conventional plant CAPEX. Operating cost is dominated by electricity, at roughly a tenth of conventional extraction-and-refining energy use, with no spend on hexane, neutralization reagents, bleaching earths, or steam generation. The combination of lower CAPEX per tonne of throughput and lower OPEX per tonne processed shortens payback relative to a conventional build of equivalent capacity.
Risk Factors
Adoption: processors and cooperatives accustomed to conventional hexane-extraction and multi-stage refining lines may require demonstration runs before committing capital to a new process architecture.
Feedstock variability: oil content and moisture vary by crop, variety, and season, requiring process tuning per feedstock batch to hold output quality.
Market: willingness to pay a premium for solvent-free, clean-label oil differs by region and end-use segment, affecting how quickly the quality advantage converts into price.
Regulatory: food-contact and processing-equipment certification is required per target market before commercial sale of the output oil and protein cake.
Related Technologies
Arbok-BioFuel · SunSqueeze · AgroVolt · Vacuum Osmosis